‘Culture’ Articles at Everyday People, Page 13

What’s Your Culture Type ??

I’m a donor, a blood donor. I’ve been doing it for years because I had an incredible example who did it well before I even thought about giving blood. My grandfather lived in the mighty metropolis of Luckey, Ohio (now at 1,013 people). My brother and I were raised by my incredible grandparents as my mom worked and went to college. Our father passed away when I was four and my brother was two.

My grandfather was a dairy farmer who also raised crops. He was a person who I admired greatly because of his humor, his outlook on life and his work ethic. Growing up on a farm is something that I know shaped me, and I cherish every moment of those years with him.

On the brim of his hat, my grandfather affixed pins representing the gallons of blood he donated. He kept his hat a hat rack near the front door. One day as he put it on while walking out to the barn to care for the cows, I asked him what the pins meant. He said he donated blood and I had no idea what that was. I said, “If they take your blood, won’t you run out?” Without missing a beat he said, “Heck no Steve, God gave me enough blood for everyone. I’ll always have what I need.” Then he laughed deeply and we went out to the barn.

As soon as I was able to donate as a teenager, I started giving. I’ve been fairly regular in doing this and just gave again recently. In the mail last week, I received my next pin. I am now up to seven gallons. I might catch Grandpa in a few more decades !!

The great thing about giving blood is that they tell you your blood type. This is necessary for you to know because some day, you may need help from somebody. My blood type is O Negative – the universal donor. Kind of cool that I have “enough blood for everyone.”

Your workplace has a culture type too. The question that comes up is – do you know what your culture type is? Does it fit everyone?

I’d like to tell you about a “new” culture type that Paul Hebert and I are introducing called #HRPositive !!

We’re both a bit tired of people tearing down HR thinking that by doing this, it will build up the field in the end. When has this ever worked? How does approaching HR negatively and ripping it up for its faults, which it does have, improve what we do and who we are? Who sits back and says, “Man, if I could find a job that wallows in misery all the time, I’d be set with my dream career ??”

Enough’s enough. I have always believed in being positive. It’s not a shtick or some social media persona. I also am a huge believer that HR drives the culture of an organization. We do it through our behavior and approach. I don’t know about you, but I have seen being positive work with people almost every time you interact with them.

We’re taking this seriously and would love to have you join this movement. We’re looking for examples of HRPositive that is happening in workplaces, in social media and anywhere we can find it. We’ve started a Linked In Group called “HRPositive” that is open to folks who want to see the tide turn back to HR being a great field to be in. You’ll also see us use the #HRPositive hashtag on Twitter.

So, would you like to be a culture donor? We’d love to see Human Resources be practiced in a way that encourages people, engages employees and moves companies forward. Remember – we have enough energy for HR to be positive for everyone !!

Stop Adding Bricks !!

“All in all you’re just another brick in the wall” – Pink Floyd

The incredible double album, The Wall, was released my senior year of high school. I listened to it endlessly. It is still one of my favorite sets from one of my favorite bands. During college I worked as a Resident Assistant and we had “Cool Steve’s Movie Night” every year. We played the movie of The Wall each year at midnight and sang every word of every song !!

(Pardon the nickname. It was given to me because I ran things differently in the dorms. I was practicing my brand of HR even then and didn’t realize it.)

The theme of the movie and the album was that seen from a character who felt every situation in his life kept building a wall that continued to constrict him. It’s not a cheerful way to look at life by any means. However, it seems to be how many people see life . . . and HR.

Too harsh? Tell me, have you had this happen? You walk into a room and people rustle and say, “Shhh, here comes HR.” Not a great feeling is it? Have you ever noticed that when people do this, they never say your name. It’s honestly the most impersonal comment anyone could make in the workplace, and it paints us in a poor light.

We rarely counter this comment. In fact, most of the time, we try to deflect it, ignore it or work around it. I think that we need to step up and not allow this attitude towards us anymore. However, there is a key thing that needs to occur before that happens. We need to quit adding bricks to the walls of our organizations. We do this all the time in the majority of our human resources efforts. We have the best intentions when we put out policies and procedures, but to be honest we manage to the exception. We have supervisors who see a small fraction of people behaving in ways they don’t like and they ask for another layer of bricks to be added. This is done instead of expecting people to talk to each other and address situations as they occur.

Honestly, it’s easier to pen another policy and lay more bricks than it is to face human interaction. However, it is our job as HR professionals to show people how to interact, listen and address people. We should refuse to pen one more item that builds the barriers in the workplace we already battle.

I recommend that you follow a test I call, The Three “O’s”. If your actions hit any of these three, then don’t do them. Come up with another alternative. It takes effort, but it works. So, don’t move forward with policies or procedures if they:

Obstruct

Are your efforts causing more obstacles for people to do their jobs? Have you considered how these methods affect performance? Chances are you’re only developing layers of rules which won’t be practiced consistently. Play out how things will affect others before you are quick to implement them.

Ostracize

Evaluate how many people your policies and procedures actually apply to. If you see that you’re addressing a small minority, then step back and refuse to add it. This is a poor business practice not just a narrow HR practice. Companies should not have systems which only impact a thin ribbon of the organization. The same is true for HR. Remember we are business people who practice HR – not the other way around.

Obfuscate

This word even sounds clunky !! It describes when things are obscure, unclear or even unintelligible. Have you even looked at your policies and procedures recently? There is an old mantra from the world of education which states “publish or perish.” HR falls into this trap by writing more and more rules for people to follow. The lack of clarity that occurs is a huge brick in the way of people understanding their roles and what they are to do.

This week take a look at your HR practices and see what walls exist. Apply the Three “O’s” test and then start taking those bricks down. When you do this, the next time you enter a room people will be geeked to see you and call you by name !!

Coffee and Apple Pie !!

Let me pause here at the beginning so you can imagine the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the mouth-watering smell of fresh, hot apple pie. Got your attention? Good. Now, let me share the story behind these delectable items.

This past week I was at a McDonald’s. It was midafternoon and not during a meal rush. I went up to the counter and there Tracey met me with a smile and a warm greeting !!

“Welcome to McDonald’s! How’s your day going?”

After my shock and surprise at Tracey’s demeanor, I replied, “I’m great and how are you?”

“I’m having a great day. What can I get for you?”

“I’d like a large, black coffee.” (Author’s aside – I’m a coffee fiend and McDonald’s is always good for a great cup of java !!)

I paid and Tracey said she’d like to take care of the guests behind me and then she told me she’d get my coffee. I was fine with that and went back to my seat to talk to some folks about an HR issue I was tackling. A few minutes passed by and I didn’t have my coffee. I wasn’t upset in the least, but I did want some caffeine so I went back up to the counter.

“Tracey, I didn’t get my coffee yet. Could you help me?”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I missed that. Let me take care of that for you right now.” She asked another team member to get me the coffee and he responded, “Sir, sorry that happened, but here you go. I’m sure this will be a great way to get through the rest of your day!”

Here were two people just Geeked about their job and it was so refreshing. The story would be great, in my opinion, if it stopped right there. I went back to my conversation and after a few minutes, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Tracey stood behind me and said, “Sir, I’m sorry that I was late with your coffee. That shouldn’t happen. Would you please accept this?” She handed me a small bag.

Again, astonishment. Here I am in a fast food restaurant where I’ve had more challenging experiences than great experiences and I am dumbfounded twice. In the bag there were two piping hot apple pies that would go great with my coffee.

I left the restaurant after having a very memorable time. As I was driving back to my office, I reflected on what happened. You see, Tracey took a situation and did what she could to make it better. She didn’t ask her manager about this. She had the ability to do what she thought was right.

Can your employees do this? Do they have the ability to do their job without obstacles standing in their way? Are the systems and “norms” in your organization ones that allow performance, or do they hinder them?

Wouldn’t it be great if employees knew that they had the freedom that Tracey has? This is where HR comes in. I would like to propose that our job is to see where obstacles exist that hinder employees from doing their job well and remove them. Those obstacles are real, but we don’t address them. More often than not we wonder why people aren’t complying with the processes that we continue to produce.

We need to switch our focus if it’s an obstacle to others. When you do this, you will enjoy HR more than you have in the past. Take the steps Tracey did. It makes an incredible, tangible difference !!

Her simple action made my day. She was an amazing example of how anyone can make culture great !! And . . . the pies went great with my coffee !!

Being Mortar !!

This weekend I had the chance to work on another Eagle Scout project for one of my scouts. I always enjoy working on these because I love to see the scout’s advance, do great work and it’s a chance to follow their lead. His project, like most of them, has a large scope. He’s building a new backstop for a High School girl’s softball team that his sister played for. It involved tons of digging, moving dirt and building a wall using concrete block and mortar.

We had some construction experts with us who laid the first course (layer) of block for the wall and they moved with grace and ease. As they continued down the row, they asked if someone wanted to “jump in” and clean up all the seams of the wall. I volunteered and I received instructions on what to do and given three tools to use – an edging trowel, a joiner and a brush. The goal was to use these three tools to make sure that excess mud (mortar) was removed as well as the seams were filled and then cleaned off to get ready for the next course of bricks.

Recently, I’ve seen a disturbing trend both in the workplace and in our profession. There are more and more efforts to split and tear down things. In the workplace we continue to develop systems that are punitive thinking that the more we keep people in check, the better they’ll perform. Personnel files grow and grow with reams of paper to document people’s missteps. I have seen notes hung up in workplaces stating that there will be consequences if people refuse to comply with this or that with the sentiment that the manager is communicating effectively.

In our profession, I keep seeing blogs and articles that tear us apart. I feel that it’s good to have a critical eye or point out how we can improve if something isn’t working. But, there are more and more blogs with labels that are derogatory and belittle aspects of HR. We need to understand that HR jobs follow a bell curve from those that are highly transactional to those that are highly strategic. One isn’t “better” than another, they are just in different stages. Companies may not want HR that is conceptual and strategic. I personally am bummed when I hear that, but I understand that it happens.

I have to be honest that I struggle when I see people who feel that negativity and cynicism will improve who we are and what we do. I read them and learn from views that are different from mine. It’s just an approach that is contrary to who I am. I’m surprised when people say that being positive is so hard and rare in HR and in the workplace.

I choose to be mortar instead. I want to see our field, and our workplaces, be places that come together to build a culture that moves a company forward. I want to use the tools that I have to join people together, remove the excess items they don’t need and offer a brush of empathy to reassure them that their contributions matter.

You may see this approach as naïve, utopian or unreasonable. The thing is, I’ll keep doing it anyway because I see it working. When I see notes, I tear them down. When I hear criticism, I look for possible solutions. When I see that things aren’t changing, I get involved on purpose.

The construction expert who taught me how to do mortar was encouraging and thought I could do well even though I had never done it before. He even said, “If you run into a problem, or don’t feel it’s going well, tell me and I’ll help you.” He believed in me and told me what to do. He was positive in his approach and thankful that someone was helping him with his work. The work was hard and I have sore muscles, torn up hands and scraped up knees. However, the mortar is placed and the first course is laid to be the foundation of what’s to come !!

The Soul of the Company !!

This past week I was fortunate enough to lead a workshop I created on developing an HR Brand to an HR chapter. This was an attempt to differentiate from “employer brand” and “employment brand” which are both important. The focus of the workshop was to get HR to own who they are professionally and also within their organization.

Any time I get to speak to my peers, I get more Geeked than usual !! The ideas were flowing and the mood was light. People love to share and one of the exercises we did was intriguing. I asked the attendees to make a side-by-side comparison of how they viewed HR and how others viewed us.

Everyone jumped into the list, and it took the turn I expected. The “others” side of the list filled quickly, and the answers weren’t positive. In fact, one person even had to remind his table that they should at least come up with some answers on how HR viewed itself. Unfortunately, this breakout supported the approach of most people. We tend to think negatively initially even if that’s not who we are. Negative thoughts and situations surround us in the majority of our activities. You have to work on turning the tide so that this isn’t how you approach HR or life !!

To help everyone try this I asked people to list how HR viewed itself. And then it happened. One person shared, ” I think HR is the Soul of the Company !! ”

Her answer drew audible oohs and aahs. People truly enjoyed that perspective and it made me think. What if we WERE the soul of the company as HR?

I think this makes sense because this has a deeper meaning and impact than culture. The “soul” of an organization should capture and embody what the company values. It is also appealing because every company’s soul is unique just as it’s people are.

Too often HR is seen as soulless and I’d love to see that turned around. The key to making this happen has to start with us personally. Senior management can’t bestow this upon us, and we shouldn’t look for them to do that. What should the soul of your company look like? It’s a bit conceptual, but there are a few factors you can consider.

First of all, you would be the “center” of all of the people activities and interactions in the company. You could assist people on having healthy communication that was consistent and productive. Many companies aspire to have this happen, but it’s an area where we can all improve.

Secondly, being the company’s soul would bring depth to what you do. We spend way too much time on surface items because we feel that’s where HR should be because it’s “safe.” It actually distances us from others. Taking the time to get to know our people more deeply makes us vulnerable, but it’s worth it. People have been coming to work forever with little to no meaning. They look for ways to connect, and we should be that connection !!

I think this is a perfect way to position HR. We have a chance to look internally first to see what our soul could be and then we could integrate that throughout our company’s culture. We all have it in us !! Let’s try it and see what happens !!

How’s Your Tank ??

As you read this, you are facing another workweek. What’s your attitude going in? Is it positive, negative, anxious? It’s interesting that we’re always concerned with how we face the workweek, but what about all of the other employees? They also have the same opportunity to decide how their workweek starts.

We’ve become numb when it comes to the workplace. We go through the same patterns and motions as we enter each day. There is truly very little variety. When there is any significant change, we are really thrown off. We want stability and things to be predictable.

But, have you asked yourself if your predictable pattern is healthy or not?

I’ll be honest, I take my amazing work environment for granted too often. I was reminded of this when a dear friend of mine, Brian Griffin, and I crossed paths at a favorite coffee haunt one day before work. As we headed to our cars, he said, “Have a great day !! Remember, you become like the tank in which you swim.”

I couldn’t get this thought out of my head. The workplace is the tank that we jump into everyday and the people we work with are swimming right along side us. If I asked the others around me, what would they say about our “tank” ??

The work environment is a key indicator of your company’s culture. We spend an incredible amount of time in our lives at work so it shouldn’t be something that is just taken for granted. HR has the prime opportunity to work on the fish tank and make sure that it’s healthy, inviting and fun !! Did you recognize that last word . . . “fun” ?? It’s something that can happen.

People want to enjoy their workplace. They may still come to work if they don’t, but that doesn’t excuse HR from trying to change that. So, what things could you address that keep people from enjoying their work? What are things that are within your reach that could be changed with a simple move?

The challenge in making this come to life is that everyone’s workplace is unique. There is no one size fits all formula to make this work. That allows you to be creative. How exciting is that?

This week step back and take a look at your workplace. Evaluate if it is a place where people enjoy themselves and look forward to coming in. If it needs some cleaning, then do that as well. HR should own this.

From now on, before you go into work, ask yourself – “How’s my tank ??”

Lorax HR !!

I don’t know about you, but I have always been a huge Dr. Suess fan !! When I was young I remember my mom reading me Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish among many others. He was able to rhyme and bring things to life in an incredibly simple way. I’m sure his books helped me learn to read as he has for thousands of others.

He also opened my imagination. If he didn’t have a word that others traditionally used, he made them up. The worlds he created were colorful and also believable. It didn’t seem impossible that an entire civilization could live on the bloom of a flower, or that an elephant could hear them. He was a contrarian who defined new rules and did it in a way to educate people. He was also an activist who wanted to bring messages like the materialism of Christmas or the destruction of our environment to people’s attention. He did in a timeless way so that generations could continue to learn from his tales.

My absolute fave by far was The Lorax. Here is a story that resonates with me even today in the world of HR. You see, when the Lorax spoke he said, “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.” He spoke up for them because they could not speak for themselves. The trees were being destroyed so that a company could make Thneeds for people to wear and everyone wanted them. The trees were being harvested left and right and it didn’t matter that they were disappearing completely because the company had to have the material to make their product.

The “trees” we have in our organizations are our employees. I’m not saying we’re destroying them, or using them to make sure the company moves forward at all costs. But we need to be the ones who speak for them. You see, if you ask Management who HR represents, they would say “Management.” And, if you asked employees who HR represent, they’d say . . . “Management.” So, how do they get a voice?

It’s time for us to realize that we are there for all people – both Management and employees. We have to be the voice of reason that listens to all sides of situations and act as the bridge between those sides to bring resolution. I get concerned that we often sway to the Management side only because we feel that’s where HR “should” be. It’s true that we should look out for the best interest of our organizations, but that should include all employees !!

As this new year starts, take some time to evaluate who you spend the most time with. Are you balanced and work with all staff? If not, what’s keeping you from doing that? We need to be the Lorax in our company. We need to stand up and be vocal about our people. By doing this we can help drive our culture and make sure that people aren’t silent.

So, as you start this week keep this quote in front of you – ” I am HR and I speak for employees !! ” You’ll be glad you do !!

Thankful.

This past week my family, along with many others, celebrated Thanksgiving. I am still a traditionalist when it comes to the holidays and their order. Gathering together over food is always a good thing, but what drives it home for me is that we normally do it around people. These people may include relatives, friends or even acquaintances. More often than not we feel recharged and refreshed after spending time with each other.

Then, we return to work and that level of enjoyment and intimacy dissipates so fast that it can’t even be tracked. We are surrounded with another group of people who drive home the mantra of “get things done.” Don’t get me wrong, productivity is essential for the success of businesses and our own personal careers. But getting things “done” almost completely eliminates the interaction of the people around us. We skim across the surface of everyone picking the one or two items needed to move our work and projects forward because spending time with them personally would be viewed as inefficient.

Don’t believe me? There are entire books and conferences dedicated to this. People flock to these forums and love the “take aways” they get from power points, flash drives or tool kits. However, the best resources they could have found were sitting next to them. Those resources were ignored because they are people we don’t know, and we could be seen as too forward if we reached out to get to know them.

I happened to check an e-mail while I was off for the holiday from a friend and it crushed me. She wrote me to tell me that she was thankful for me because I had made an introduction to her back in 2009 that literally saved her business as a sole proprietor. I couldn’t believe it. She went on to say that this connection has continued to lead to business opportunities to this day. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to say thanks.

It led to me to think this . . . Who we affect is far more important than what we get done !!

In HR we have the chance, and the obligation, to positively affect all of the people around us and not just wait for the holidays to recharge ourselves around those we know better. We can dive past the façade of surfaces and spend time to get to know the people who make work come to life and drive productivity. It’s time for us to remember that work happens through people and not in spite of them.

So, I’d like to start something that I hope you take forward.

I’m thankful for YOU !! I’m thankful that you’ve chosen to read this blog. I’m hopeful that we are connected, and if we aren’t, I’m hopeful that we can become connected.

I’m thankful that you’re involved in some way with HR and people. It is a challenging field, but it is also one of the most fulfilling careers a person could ever pursue. You have the chance to interact with humans everyday, and you never know how your interaction may deeply impact them.

Here’s how to move this forward. Be like my friend and thank someone who has impacted you. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or a particular setting. Reach out today with a note, a phone call, an e-mail, or something you know will matter to them. Watch what happens. See how you will be recharged each and every day. You won’t have to wait for that next holiday. You’ll see that being Thankful is a fantastic state to be in all the time !!

Be a Builder !!

When I look at the vast field of HR, I have to say that I am swayed to the power of Culture more than other facets. I truly believe that people decide to either stay at a company or leave it because of its culture.

Cultures vary with each company that exists. In fact, you could even note that each department within a company has its own culture. With so many different environments, it seems difficult to think that we keep trying a “one size fits all” approach and think that it will work. There are too many factors to take in, and it’s honestly exhausting to try to make everything fit.

In the past, I thought that changing the culture in an organization was the answer. I fell into the mythical trap that things can only get better if things are viewed as wrong and then fixing them. That is extremely presumptuous when you step back and think about that. To think that a culture can only improve if it’s first destroyed devalues all that has been in existence before you were part of that culture yourself.

This week something hit me like a ton of bricks. It was an actual Aha moment !! What if you built your culture instead of changing it ??

You may argue that this is semantics, but I don’t think it is. Building a culture is working from the environment you currently experience. I’m not saying that everyone has the best culture, but it is what you have to work from. If you have a construction approach and not a destruction approach, you can see where there are opportunities to build. Think of how healthy you would be as an HR person if you were adding to things instead of limiting them or tearing them down.

You need to understand that this is contrary to how we currently practice. We are doing way too much justifying and reporting in our roles. Reporting is important, but reports exist because of results. Without actions that generate results, your reports are shallow and mundane. If your focus were to evaluate, take some measurements and see how areas of your culture could be enhanced and improved, imagine what could happen !!

We are always looking for ways to enjoy what we do, and this can be the start of building our profession to be even better. It takes some risk to see things positively and differently, but it’s worth it.

So, this week strap on your tool belt and your hard hat. There are cultures out there where you can be a builder !! They’ve been waiting for you to get started !!

Image courtesy of People Matters (one of my fave blogs !!)

Sorry, We’re Closed !!

This weekend, my son took a giant step of leadership and initiative !! He began work on his Eagle Scout project. He started building a shed to replace a POD for the Animal Friends Humane Society who currently has to pay to have the POD for food storage for the animals. The project is massive, but he is more than able to take it on. Have to say the “proud father” tears often swell to the surface when I think about how amazing he is !!

One of the keys in doing a project like this is that you get first-hand experience on when things go well . . . and when they don’t.

Josh had ordered the shed from one of those big box hardware stores and everything was scheduled to be delivered on site (a mile from the store) the Friday before his first workday on Saturday. We stopped by the store on Friday night just to make sure that everything was ready. The shipping supervisor looked a bit confused and dumbfounded when Josh asked about the delivery. It looked like it was “supposed” to have happened, but another employee hadn’t entered the firm delivery in the computer, so it didn’t exist.

Another key to an Eagle Scout project is to adapt.

Josh asked if we could compromise and get a rental truck and get some of the material to make the shed’s base and floor for the next day because people were scheduled to come and help. The store agreed and waived the rental fee for the truck and apologized for the mistake and confirmed that they could deliver the remainder of the materials on Sunday. Josh added an extra work day, but still moved forward.

On Saturday morning, we arrived to get the rental truck and pick up the material for the floor. We were directed over to the lumber yard, and we were the first customers for the day. A young man in a Security shirt came out of the guard shack and the following happened.

Guard: May I help you?

Steve: We were told to come back to the lumber yard to get material.

Guard: Sorry, we’re closed.

Steve: What ?! (confused and frustrated from the original delivery being mixed up) They told us to come back here.

Guard: Sorry, they must have told you the wrong information. We’re closed.

Steve: But we need to get the lumber. You don’t understand, we have people . . .

Guard: It’s okay. I’m just messing with you. We’re open. Come on in. Can I help you get to where you need to go?

We busted out laughing !! The young man saw that we were in a hurry and had to “get things done.” He noticed we were missing out on starting the day getting some material to do some project. We weren’t there to enjoy the experience and he was supposed to just do his job.

The thing is – he was doing his job better than anyone could have imagined !! He chose to take a rather mundane job (checking people in and out of a lumber yard ALL DAY) and make it enjoyable. I loved his creativity and told him that I appreciated his approach.

I’m sure if typical supervisors had seen this interaction, the guard would have been coached if not disciplined or terminated. We want people to WORK and be productive. We have spent years beating the passion out of people, and yet we expect them to bring the workplace to life through their jobs.

I had to come back later Saturday morning, because you always have at least 3 return trips to hardware stores during a project, and I saw the guard again. I couldn’t resist, so I said, “I see you’re open now !!” He didn’t miss a beat, “Yeah, you just caught us because we were closed ten minutes ago.”

HR needs to take note to give employees permission to love what they do and who they interact with. Work would be a better place if we looked at how to make people smile in what we do regardless of our role.

That young man made our day !! I’m sure glad he was “closed” !!